The Eggshell Peace
by jaggedjottings
Summary: Catra is reluctantly recruited by Adora to dethrone Hordak in exchange for an end to the War. But is Catra mature enough to preside over Peace in Etheria? Or will she succumb to her darker instincts until she drives away all her friends and the Peace is destroyed?
1. Chapter 1: The Olive Branches

All Catra ever wanted was to feel safe, and safety through power was the best possible option. In the six months since she had deposed Shadow Weaver as Lord Hordak's second in command, that goal had felt closer than ever, but now it was slipping away. At first Hordak had responded to her triumphs with praise and and her setbacks with patience. But the war was going badly, and Catra's sense of security was deteriorating alongside it. The union between She-Ra and the Princess Alliance had created a stalemate between the Horde and the Rebellion, and a devastated No-Man's Land cut a burned-out swath between the Fright Zone and Bright Moon. Where the Horde had once raided with impunity, they were now on the defensive, and morale was getting low among the troops.

With every negative report that Catra made, Lord Hordak offered less constructive criticism and more stony silence. That morning, when Catra announced that the Village of Satyrs had fallen to Princess Perfuma, Hordak simply stared at her for thirty seconds. It felt like a lifetime. Finally, he stood up from his throne.

"Take back the village tonight, under the cover of darkness. I will not tolerate any more failures."

With that, he strode to the back of the hall and into his private chambers, slamming the door behind him. Catra simply nodded, her breath caught in her throat.

It was now after dusk, and Catra crouched on top of her scouting tank, peering into the darkness with her powerful blue and gold eyes. The phalanx of tanks she commanded was perched on the edge of No-Man's Land, and she scanned over the wasteland of blackened tree stumps and scorched grass to the edge of the Whispering Wood beyond. The burn was Entrapta's handiwork, meant to impede Princess Perfuma from using the Whispering Wood for attacks on the Fright Zone. Instead, it had simply made Perfuma angry. Her attacks on the occupied villages redoubled, and "Such a Waste" became a rallying cry among her people.

Lonnie poked her head out of the tank's hatch.

"Orders, Captain?"

"All clear. Let's move out."

Lonnie ducked back into the cockpit and radioed the order. The tank regiment rumbled into gear. Suddenly, Catra saw an eight-foot-tall woman sprint out of the woods far to their left, running in the direction of the Fright Zone. Her hair was golden and her white tunic and helmet glowed like a torch. Catra knew it was the legendary warrior She-Ra, up to some mischief no doubt. Catra banged on the hatch.

"Lonnie, take command. I've got a high-value target on our left. It's THE high-value target."

Sometimes she still couldn't bring herself to say Adora's name.

Catra leapt off the tank and sprinted after She-Ra, her trusty staff in hand. Heavy machinery was useless against the warrior Princess. Only skill and agility would suffice: she would have to be confronted alone. She-Ra slowed to a jog, and seemed to be waiting for Catra to catch up to her. That seemed suspicious. But before Catra could recalibrate, a huge wall of vines shot out from the Whispering Wood at frightening speed. The leading edge was barrelling straight for her! Through the corner of her eye, she saw several other vine walls moving toward the tank phalanx as the smell of olives filled the air. She would have to make a split second decision. Without thinking, she dove left towards She-Ra, rolled to her feet, and kept running.

"It's a trap!" she thought bitterly. "Perfuma is here, and I played right into her hands. She's cutting me off from my command!"

She reminded herself that Lonnie was a competent commander, and they still had a numerical advantage. Surely her regiment could handle a few angry flower fighters...and an elemental sorceress with a vendetta? Either way it wouldn't look good to Lord Hordak, but if she could capture She-Ra it just might save her skin.

By the time Catra approached, She-Ra was casually leaning on her sword, looking at her with a placid smile. Yep, definitely planned. Catra cursed herself again, but put on a brave voice and a predatory grin.

"Hey Adora. Felt like dying today?"

She-Ra's eyes fell, and she sighed as if she were ashamed. She diminished into a small, slender figure in a red jacket, the figure that Catra knew so well, who had caused her so much pain.

"I'm afraid that wasn't the plan, Catra."

As she spoke, the wall of olive branches curled around them like a snake, freezing into place as a cylindrical fence twenty feet high.

Catra's eyes narrowed.

"So what *is* the plan then?" She secretly hoped that Perfuma was the mastermind behind this. It would hurt too much to know that she was bested by Adora once again, and perhaps for the last time. "I gotta admit, that's a smooth move with the vines. It's so tight in here I can barely use my staff."

"I just want to talk. It's been six months. I've seen you from across the battlefield once or twice, but the tides of war don't listen to anyone."

Speaking of not listening...

"Pick up your sword, or I'll do it for you," Catra commanded. "We have nothing to talk about."

Adora grinned apprehensively.

"Sure we do! Like...I hear you're doing great for yourself. Got Shadow Weaver thrown in prison, and now you're Hordak's right-hand woman. That's wonderful! I'm...genuinely happy for you, even if you're on the other side."

Catra said nothing. Adora continued.

"I mean, it must be somewhat better working for Hordak, right? No constant verbal abuse, no creepy magic freezing you in place. Hordak probably thinks the world of you."

Catra's ear twitched involuntarily, and she cursed herself for the 3rd time that evening. Adora could always read her displays of weakness. Adora raised her eyebrows, and Catra thought she looked genuinely concerned. Two could play at that emotion-reading game.

"Oh," said Adora quietly. "Are things not okay with Hordak?"

This was getting tiresome for Catra. Adora always had a way of making her feel helpless, like a cute little animal to be pitied and rescued. Dropping her staff, she extended her claws and drew her arms into a fighting stance.

"Shut up and let's get this over with."

Adora held up her palms in a gesture of peace.

"Okay, okay! No more small talk. I'll tell you what I'm really here for. I want to cut a deal with you. A deal to end this war."

"If you want to negotiate, talk to Hordak. I just do his dirty work."

"I want to talk to you. And given that your phalanx just retreated to the Fright Zone without you, maybe you don't want to talk to Hordak right now either?"

As if on cue, the thick wooden wall surrounding them crumbled into dust, revealing them to be alone in No-Man's Land. Well, almost alone. On the edge of the Whispering Wood stood a tall woman with red flowers in her blonde hair. The dreaded Princess Perfuma. She and Adora waved at each other, and Perfuma disappeared into the forest.

Catra clenched her fists. Everything was slipping away from her.

"You know Adora," she shouted, "you're really good at being manipulative when you feel like it!"

Adora put her hand to her brow and shook her head.

"Oh no. No no no. I'm doing this all wrong! This feels like another power play, doesn't it? The fact is...I need your help. All of Etheria needs your help."

Catra paused. This was unexpected, but she didn't trust an unpredictable Adora any more than a predictable Adora. She made sure to sauce her voice with extra derision.

"So why not ask one of your all-powerful princess buddies to save the world, like Crazy Vine Lady over there? Or better yet, do it yourself? You're the 'Chosen One' after all. What do you need me for, and what makes you think I'd ever want to help you?"

"None of us have what you have: support in the Horde." Adora paused and collected herself. "Catra, how would you feel about overthrowing Hordak and leading the Horde yourself?"

Catra's jaw dropped. This was a concept wholly forbidden. Discussing it within the Horde was a capital offense, not to mention discussing it with the enemy. Sure, she had betrayed Shadow Weaver, but it was ultimately Hordak who had delivered the punishment. Yet deep in her mind, she already saw the appeal of ultimate power. And deeper still, of ultimate safety.

"That's impossible!" she gasped. "Hordak *is* the Horde! The whole place would fall apart without him."

"Not with solid commanders to take his place. Commanders like you."

Catra realized she was pacing and scratching an imaginary mite behind her ear.

"So what's the catch?" she asked. "What do you want from me?"

"Peace," said Adora. "Peace between the Horde and the Rebellion. No conditions, no reparations, just peace. The Princesses will help you overthrow Hordak if you end the war."

Catra stopped in her tracks and stared incredulously at Adora. This night was getting more and more surreal.

"You're crazy! This is all crazy. You're trying to use me. You say I'll rule most of Etheria, but I'll really be your puppet. No thanks!" She paused. "And anyway, the rest of the Horde would never go along with it. I'd be a dead woman walking!"

"Are you sure about that? The stalemate has been hard on all of us. I'm sure your soldiers are as tired of the war as we are."

"Absolutely not!"

But Catra knew it was true. The Horde had lost so many tanks and robots that Entrapta was running out of raw materials to work with. And the rank and file - they were terrified to travel beyond No-Man's Land. An entire army full of Kyles. Pathetic.

A long silence followed. Finally, Adora broke it.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you, and I probably should've started with this. But I've been messing everything up I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Her last sentence was rushed and jumbled together.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. For everything."

Catra stared at her. Adora continued.

"After that weirdness in the temple simulator, I realized why you hate me." Catra winced. That was a memory she'd rather not relive. "And it didn't take me six months either. I've spent the last several months trying to find a way to meet with you alone. I'm sorry it took so long...The fact is, I was a terrible friend. I was blind to the way that Shadow Weaver abused you, and I never really respected or stood up for you in a way that mattered. I mean, it makes sense that you always knew the Horde was evil. You were one of the innocents they terrorized! And when you watched me defect because I saw atrocities against strangers, after ignoring the things they did for years to my best friend...my goodness, I can't imagine how awful that must have felt."

Adora's eyes brimmed with tears. She sat on the ground cross-legged and put her head in her hands. Catra realized she was in danger of crying too. She slumped down across from Adora, leaning back against a tree stump. They were two little girls again, utterly alone in the devastated landscape. Adora began speaking more quickly. Five months of pent up guilt poured out of her all at once.

"You talk about how strong you've become. The truth is that you were always the stronger one. You just had a tougher road to travel. I'll never know why Shadow Weaver hated you so much, why I got all the praise and you got all the punishment when we were doing the exact same thing...Maybe fairness is a luxury, but it's a luxury that you deserve. I just wanted to make your road easier, to give you a chance to thrive on your own, and yeah, even outshine me. But I failed, and I'm sorry." Adora grinned through the tears. "But look at you now! You're the second most powerful person in Etheria-"

"-for the moment," Catra admitted.

"You're the second most powerful person in Etheria right now, and you're the only person in Etheria who can fight toe-to-toe against She-Ra. And you've done it all without magical powers! You're a legend, Catra!"

Catra smiled in spite of herself.

"If you're going to keep flattering me, I might finally apologize for leaving that dead mouse in your shoe."

"What about apologizing for those times you tried to kill me?"

Catra playfully threw a small pebble at her.

"Nah, you kinda had that one coming." The pebble smacked Adora between the eyes. "But I'm glad you're not dead." Another long silence. "So what else you got for me?"

Maybe it was Catra's imagination, but some apprehension seemed to seep into Adora's voice.

"Well, I think peace would be good for all of us. Think about it, you'd have ultimate power, plus ultimate security. I'd imagine there's nothing more secure than life in peacetime."

Catra didn't like this argument. Adora was poking at her insecurity again, and she would have argued back - if the point weren't so accurate. Adora continued:

"Also, if we do this thing, I'll come back to your side if you want me to."

Catra's ears flattened, but her heart started pounding.

"I think that ship has sailed, Adora."

She couldn't decide if she abhorred the idea, or if she secretly loved it and was just driving a hard bargain. A exhilarating vista of possibilities was opening up.

Adora shrugged.

"Or I won't come back, if you don't want me to. I can stay in Bright Moon and leave you to rule the Horde on your own. But I feel like I owe you the friendship that I was never able to give you before. To put myself on the line for you the way I was never able to do. You obviously don't need protecting, but we all could use *support*, because that's what friends do - they support each other. And remember, this is your operation. I'm here for support - I think you used the word 'sidekick' once. Every hero needs one, and you have a chance to save all of Etheria."

Why was Adora giving herself up like this? Sure, she had just explained why, but Catra wasn't really paying attention. There was too much racing through her mind. She wanted this, but she knew in her bones there must be a catch. She tried to keep her voice steady when she spoke.

"You know I don't actually care about saving Etheria, right? You were right before, I just want security for myself."

Adora looked pained again.

"As long as you keep the Peace, you can do it for any reason you want to."

Catra broke into a mischievous grin.

"In that case, it sounds like we have a Dark Lord to overthrow. How do we start?"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: A Fishy Situation

Catra lept from tree branch to tree branch while Adora jogged below, struggling to keep up. They would make it to Bright Moon Castle in record time at this rate, but Adora wouldn't have any breath left to plead her case.

Catra called back over her shoulder.

"Hey Adora, how does it feel to *still* be the slowest person in the world?"

"Come down here, and I'll show you." Adora gasped.

Surprisingly, Catra actually listened for once. She leapt into a graceful backflip and plopped down soundlessly next to Adora's hunched figure.

"The castle is right over there," she said quietly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"'

"No. But we might never get an opportunity like this again. Remember, we have to make a good first impression." Adora straightened and pulled a small object out of her pocket. "It's time to put your disguise on."

She held a small square of purple cloth, no bigger than the width of two fingers. She began unfolding it, and soon it was a blanket large enough to wrap an adult in.

"That's a neat trick!" said Catra. "Where did you find this thing?"

"Glimmer knit it for me." Adora smirked at the look of distaste on Catra's face. "I'm pretty sure it defies the laws of physics, but it makes sense coming from someone who can teleport." She suspected that Catra was itching to tell Entrapta about this new discovery, but no matter. They were committed now. "Put this on, and make sure you cover your ears and tail. Now let's see how convincingly you can limp...yeah, leaning on your staff is a great touch! You know, I think this is the most you've ever listened to me."

Catra stuck her tongue out from under the blanket. She actually did look like a convincing old crone.

"The things I'm willing to do for ultimate power," she said. "Now let's go!"

They emerged from the forest and moved slowly up the drawbridge. Catra was selling this well. Two tall, white-clad guards were standing sentry at the gate, watching them the whole way. As the duo approached, the guards crossed their spears in front of the wooden door.

"Hail, Adora!" said the guard on the right. "Who is this guest that you bring with you?"

"A refugee from the Horde's latest raid," pleaded Adora, trying to sound dramatic, "She needs immediate medical attention!"

The guards uncrossed their spears.

"Very well," said the first guard. "We wish her the best. Welcome home, Adora."

The guards opened the double doors together, and Adora and Catra hobbled through. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Catra took off the blanket and flippantly threw it over Adora's head. By the time Adora got the cloth out of her eyes, Catra was already strolling around the corner out of sight.

"Hey, wait up!" Knowing the unlikelihood that Catra would actually wait for her, she ran to catch up and fell in stride next to her. "Catra!" she whispered. "We have to be careful!"

"Yeah, whatever," said Catra, far too loudly. "This place is full of wimps. Nice architecture though." She looked up at the white fluted archways far above. "A lot nicer than than the villages around here, I gotta say."

Adora winced.

"Yeah, that's definitely a thing. But the villagers seem happy...when they're not getting attacked by the Horde, that is."

Catra stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air. She crouched down on all fours, still sniffing, and began padding down a side staircase. Adora rolled her eyes. Catra had these animalistic episodes sometimes (though Adora couldn't decide exactly what animal she reminded her of) and to reason with her at these moments was even harder than usual. Not that it would keep Adora from trying.

"Catra, what are you doing?" she hissed. "That's the wrong way!"

"Shhh! There's something down here."

"Yeah. The kitchen."

"Knew it!" Catra exclaimed. She broke into a run. Adora smacked herself on the forehead and followed, chasing Catra to the bottom of the stairs and down a long corridor. Catra had already burst through the swinging doors at the end of the hall. When Adora arrived, she found her guest gorging herself at a large plate on the kitchen table. A portly chef walked up, clearly displeased.

"Hey, you can't be eating that!"

Catra looked up from the plate and hissed, her ears flattened and tail bushed out. The chef screamed.

"Everybody run for your lives, the Horde is here!"

Within five seconds the kitchen was empty save the two young women, and Catra dove back into her meal. Adora put her hands on her hips.

"Well I hope you're proud of yourself. Now the whole castle knows you're here."

Catra whipped around. She was holding an intact fish skeleton, perfectly stripped of meat, and her eyes were round saucers full of wonder.

"Adora, what is this? It's incredible!"

"Uhhh...that's a fish. And we'd better get out of - wait, you've never heard of fish before?"

Catra shrugged.

"I dunno. I skipped Force Captain Orientation."

Adora threw up her hands.

"Catra, they don't cover fish in Force Captain Orientation! That's just something people know about!"

But even as she spoke, she felt a pang of guilt. She thought back to meals in the Fright Zone, an uninspiring choice between brown and gray ration bars. Even the delicacies at the Princess Prom only amounted to some pastries and fruit punch. And she was pretty certain that their skirmish in Salineas was the first time that Catra had ever been on the water.

Sometimes Adora forgot just how deprived Catra's life had been - how deprived her own life had been until recently. She was about to apologize when Glimmer materialized out of nowhere.

"What's going on in-AAAAAHH! IT'S CATRA! What's she doing here?!"

Catra didn't even turn in Glimmer's direction.

"I'm looking for a place to nap after dinner. Nice digs, by the way."

She began strolling around the kitchen, examining the nooks and crannies. Adora had to take hold of the situation, and fast.

"Glimmer, I know this looks bad, but Catra comes in peace. She-"

"DID SHE EAT MY DINNER?!"

"Forget about the dinner! We have an opportunity to end the war!"

"Is she here to defect?"

"Not exactly."

Adora explained the situation as quickly as she could. She got the sense that Glimmer wasn't listening.

"Well keep an eye on her. I don't want her wandering all over the - she's gone, isn't she?"

Adora looked around in horror. The kitchen was indeed empty.

"Let's go!"

They burst through the door that Adora had entered from. The corridor was barren, and there were no footsteps on the stairs. They wheeled around, running back through the kitchen and through the swinging doors on the other end. Nobody there either.

"Let's think!" said Adora. "She said she was looking for a place to nap. There's a closet around the corner with baskets of tablecloths and stuff. Maybe she's there."

They raced around the corner and peered into the dark closet. It was empty, though it looked like several tablecloths had been disturbed. Behind them was another staircase that led up to...oh no.

Glimmer glared at her.

"She better not be where I think she is."

Adora's shoulders sagged. Of all the places Catra could have gotten to, she desperately hoped it wasn't there.

"You're right," she said. "Let's check there next."

Glimmer grabbed her arm. An instant later they were standing on the floor of Glimmer's bedroom. High above, in a golden sconce hanging from the ceiling, they heard the soft sound of purring emanating from the bed. Adora looked down at Glimmer: her fists were clenched at her sides, and her face was contorted in fury.

"Glimmer, don't do it!" Adora whispered.

But it was too late. Glimmer disappeared in a haze of sparkles. Adora looked up in apprehension. Glimmer's voice thundered down from above:

"GET OUT OF MY BED!"

Adora heard a yowl as a puff of feathers shot into the air. In the next instant, Catra was hurtling to the ground. She landed on all fours and sprinted towards the nearest door. She had almost reached it when Glimmer materialized behind her and shoved her in the back. The door burst open as she slammed into it, and she sprawled face-down in the doorway. For a moment, Adora was worried that she might be seriously injured, but then she looked up and crawled forward as if in a trance.

"Whoa…" murmured Catra.

"Great," muttered Glimmer. "She found the armory."

Back on her feet, Catra made a beeline for a long brown spear on the wall. She caressed it fondly, and before Glimmer had a chance to protest, she took it down and began expertly twirling it around the tiny room.

"You have a halfmoon spear! This is my favorite weapon, but I've never seen one in real life before. Check it out, there's a hidden button here!"

Adora heard a click, and a semi-circular blade unfolded like a paper fan from the shaft just below the spearhead. It was transparent and glowed bright red.

"I think they're called halfmoon spears because of the shape of the laser blade," Catra said. "Apparently the people who made them died out many years ago. The spearhead is nice, but the moon blade is supposed to be the sharpest weapon in all of Etheria."

"I thought it was just a regular spear," admitted Glimmer.

Catra twirled the spear again, parrying and thrusting against imaginary enemies. The red blade and silver spearhead glinted around the room like a moon and evening star twinkling through the night sky. Adora had never seen her like this. She seemed intent, focused, perhaps even reverent - completely different from her spastic behavior of the past half hour. Even Glimmer was hypnotized into silence.

"Catra, how did you know about this thing?" asked Adora, a hint of wonder escaping into her voice. "I've never even heard of it."

Catra stopped and winked at Adora.

"I dunno. I thought it was just something people knew about."

Adora had no retort for that. Catra retracted the moon blade and handed the spear to Glimmer, offering it up in both palms, and even inclining her head slightly as Glimmer took the weapon.

"It's a magnificent weapon, Princess. Take good care of it."

"Thanks, I will! And uh...thanks for showing me its true value."

"My pleasure." Catra folded her hands in a gesture of formal request. "But please, could you answer one question for me where my knowledge is *apparently lacking*?" She drew out the last two words while glaring daggers at Adora.

"Um, sure?" said Glimmer hesitantly. "I guess there's no harm in asking."

"Great! What's your favorite kind of fish to eat?"

"Oh! Ummm, I guess glazed salmon with butter and lemon?"

"How do you make it?!" asked Catra excitedly. Her eyes were like saucers again.

Right that moment, Bow walked into the armory.

"Hey guys, what are you-AAAHH! Why's Catra here?!"

He pointed at her in terror.

"We're exchanging seafood recipes!" Glimmer called back over her shoulder. "So anyway, first you marinate the salmon in a sweet glaze for eight hours, then you…"

Bow's face was a portrait of confusion. Adora put an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the armory.

"Bow, something big is happening. I need an audience with Queen Angella as soon as possible, and I need as many of the princesses to attend as possible. How many can you and Swift Wind round up in...say the next half hour?"

"Well, Netossa and Spinarella are already here, and Mermista and Seahawk were coming to visit tonight anyway. For everyone else, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Hmmm, I guess that'll have to do. I saw Perfuma earlier tonight, but I don't think she would like this mission. She believes I was capturing Catra, not negotiating with her."

"Negotiating?" Bow asked doubtfully.

"Go ask for a meeting with the Queen! You'll learn everything in a bit! Just trust me."

Bow ran off, and Adora decided she should go supervise Catra and Glimmer. As she re-entered the armory, she smiled to see that they were now discussing tuna sandwiches.

To be continued...


End file.
